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Women's Studies 5101 1 Women’s Studies 5101 – Winter 2016 Theories and Methods in Women’s Studies Dr. Lori Chambers 343-8218 RB 2016 [email protected] Feminism has fought no wars. It has killed no opponents. It has set up no concentration camps, starved no enemies, practiced no cruelties. Its battles have been for education, for the vote, for better working conditions . for safety on the streets . for child care, for social welfare . for rape crisis centers, women's refuges, reforms in the laws. If someone says ‘Oh, I'm not a feminist,’ I ask ‘Why? What’s your problem?” Dale Spender, For the Record: The Making and Meaning of Feminist Knowledge Course Description: The aim of the winter term is to provide an overview of the major themes and debates in feminist theory since the second wave, and to equip students to integrate feminist theory into a variety of disciplines. Required Readings: All students must purchase Sandra Kemp and Judith Squires, Feminisms from the university bookstore. Readings from this text are indicated below with page numbers only. Students must also purchase the course pack, also available at the bookstore. A number of articles are required, but not included in the course pack. This is because they are readily available through the online journal collections of the university. They are not reproduced in the course pack in order to save you money. Such articles are clearly indicated on the course outline below. Evaluation – this term is worth 50% of your overall grade: You may choose your own due dates and weighting (see options b. through d. below), however, due dates must fall before April 4, 2016. A late penalty of 5% per day, including weekends, will apply to late work. Work over a week late will not be accepted without appropriate documentation. Your evaluation breakdown is due back to me by the end of Week 2. Students are expected to know the University’s policy on plagiarism and academic dishonesty http://calendar.lakeheadu.ca/current/contents/regulations/univregsIXacdishon.html Academic dishonesty will be forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies, along with evidence of plagiarism, for their evaluation and penalization. The minimum penalty will be a zero for the assignment and the maximum penalty will be a zero for the course. If the Instructor believes, in her professional assessment, that the plagiarism is accidental due to sloppy work and editing, she will ask the student to re-edit and re-submit the assignment 2 correcting the problem, with a cover letter indicating where the plagiarism was, why it was plagiarism, and how it has been corrected by the student. Second copies which still contain plagiarism will be forwarded to the Dean for penalization. a. Discussion & Facilitation - Mandatory: We meet for 3 hours weekly. Each week, beginning in Week 2, one student will be responsible for presenting their analysis of the week’s theme overall, and then sharing with the class how one of the recommended readings for the week speaks to or with the required readings. The student will then pose questions for the group, based on the week, and will help to facilitate discussion of the week’s topic. The presentation component will be 30 minutes in length (approximately 10 pages, if double-spaced) to prepare you for conferences. Sign up on the sign-up sheet. Students may miss one class without documentation and receive no penalty; if you miss more than one class without appropriate documentation, your Discussion & Facilitation grade will be reduced by 5% per class to a maximum of 0% received for this component, regardless of the mark you receive for your facilitation week. Students who do not actively engage in the week’s discussion through either active listening or contributions to the discussion will have their grade reduced by 5% per class to a maximum of 0% received for this component, regardless of the mark you receive for your facilitation week. Grade weighting: minimum 15%, maximum 25% b. My Theory Project – Option A: You will apply a feminist theory from the term to the thesis/research paper/creative project you are developing in your home discipline. The Theory Project paper will illustrate how the theory you chose intersects with course materials and discussions, and why it is the best framework for your home project. It will be important to reflect on your own social location when you explain why the theoretical framework you chose appeals to you. What are the strengths and limitations of using this particular framework? Any theory(ies) within the course materials can be used. The paper should be 12 pages in length. Grade weighting: maximum 25% c. Readings Journal – Option B: You will journal a response to one reading per week. Keep the entries brief: no more than two pages, hand written, or one page typed, for a total of 12 pages in length. Please note: responses are not descriptions. An entry that describes the article’s evidence and argument will garner 0. Responses must show analytical engagement with the text. Either connect it to your own life in a way that illustrates experiential knowledge (i.e.: explore how the text helps you to understand why you experienced, and then understood or perceived, something in a particular way) or connect it with other readings from this course, showing how it speaks to / with / against them. 3 Grade weighting: maximum 25% d. Annotated Bibliography – Option C: You will compile an annotated bibliography on a topic related to your thesis/research paper/creative project in your home discipline. Each entry in the bibliography should be approximately a paragraph in length. This assignment should be used to help you to prepare a literature review for your thesis or project. The bibliography should be 12 pages in length. Grade weighting: maximum 25%. Tips for Reading Feminist Theory Context is everything. Some of the following tips are from Charlotte Bunch, “Not by Degrees: Feminist Theory and Education”. 1. Description: How does the theorist describe society? What problem(s) does she identify? Does the theorist introduce or define any important terms or concepts? 2. Analysis: How does the theorist analyze why society exists as it does? How does she explain the problem? Who benefits from the reality she describes? 3. Vision: What does the theorist argue should exist? 4. Strategy: What are the short and long-term goals to make her vision real? 5. Timing: How does the theorist’s time period affect her theory? What parts of the theory are still relevant today? 6. Social location: What is the social location of the theorist or the theory? Whose reality does she describe? How does her social location affect her theory? Weekly Schedule for Readings Week 1 – January 6, 2016 Class this week will provide an introduction to the course and to each other. We will also discuss expectations and requirements. Week 2 – January 13, 2016 What is the purpose/importance of feminist theory? How do we challenge the academic paradigm? How does feminist theory challenge/transform your home discipline? Can we work in academia without being corrupted or co-opted? Required Readings: 4 Audre Lorde, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House”, in C. Moraga, and G. Anzaldua, (eds), This Bridge Called My Back (New York: Kitchen, 1981), 99-101. Mary Evans, “In Praise of Theory: The Case for Women’s Studies”, 17-22. bell hooks, “Feminism: A Movement to End Sexist Oppression”, 22-27. Naomi Sheman, “Changing the Subject”, 120-125. Recommended Readings: Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider (New York: Crossing Press, 1984). bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (New York: Routledge, 1994) Week 3 – January 20, 2016 Defining classical second wave feminist positions: liberal, radical, cultural and socialist feminisms. Required Readings: Susan Moller Okin, Justice, Gender and the Family (New York: Basic Books, 1989), 3-25, 170-186. Shulamith Firestone, The Dialectic of Sex, in Wendy Kolmar and Frances Bartkowski, (eds), Feminist Theory: A Reader (London: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000), 183-186. Heidi Hartmann, “The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism”, in Wendy Kolmar and Frances Bartkowski, (eds), Feminist Theory: A Reader (London: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000), 320-329. Carol Gilligan, “In a Different Voice”, 142-145. Recommended Readings: Kate Millett, Sexual Politics (New York: Granada Publishing, 1969). Emma Goldman, Anarchism and Other Essays (New York: Mother Earth Publishing, 1910). Week 4 – January 27, 2016 Challenging Essentialism: Post-modern and Post-structural feminisms Required Readings: Monique Wittig, “One is not Born a Woman”, 216-220 Denise Riley, “Am I That Name? Feminism and the Category of ‘Women’ in History”, 241-245. Luce Irigaray, “The Other: Woman”, 308-315. Diana Fuss, “The ‘Risk’ of Essence”, 250-258. bell hooks, “Black Women and Feminism”, 220-227. Joan Scott, “Deconstructing Equality-Versus-Difference: or, The Uses of Poststructuralist Theory in Feminism”, in Wendy Kolmar and Frances Bartkowski, (eds), Feminist Theory: A Reader (London: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2000), 414-423. Recommended Readings: bell hooks, Killing Rage: Ending Racism (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1995). 5 Patricia Hill Collins, From Black Power to Hip Hop: Racism, Nationalism and Feminism (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2006) Week 5 – February 3, 016 Speech & Silence / Language & Power Required Readings: Cora Kaplan, “Speaking/Writing/Feminism”, 37-44. Maria Lugones and Elizabeth Spelman. “Have We Got a Theory For You! Feminist Theory, Cultural Imperialism and the Demand for ‘The Woman’s Voice’” Women’s Studies International Forum 6 (6) (1983), 573-581. Helen Longino, “To See Feelingly: Reason, Passion and Dialogue”, in Stanton, D., and Stewart, A. (eds), Feminisms in the Academy (Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1995), 19-45.
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